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In our NORMAPeople series, employees around the world talk about their day-to-day work, how they came to the company, and what they appreciate most about their jobs.
Philippe Calvar is a Quality & EHS Team Leader at the NORMA Group site in Guichen, France. In this interview, he talks about his daily routine, what makes working at NORMA Group so appealing and what role sustainability plays in this.
Philippe, what exactly does EHS mean and what are your daily tasks?
EHS stands for Environment, Health and Safety. In my day-to-day work, my first priority is to evaluate situations in terms of safety first, environmental events and quality results on the customer side and internally.
After this analysis phase and after having organized the tasks of the Quality & EHS team and potential corrective actions, I can concentrate on my own tasks: I participate with all colleagues and departments in the implementation of our annual improvement plan, measure the impact, take a step back and define the next steps for improvement.
Can you explain what exactly you mean by such a situation?
Basically, I am referring to all issues that lead to quality or supply chain issues and thus have a direct impact on our customers.
But such situations also include accidents or near misses. From a safety perspective, I am extremely proud of the fact that we have not had a single accident at Guichen for more than 1000 days.
What do you like most about your job?
The job is very enthusiastic as you have to be connected with all the departments for daily tasks and to plan for the future – it is a team effort. There is no competitive thinking between the individual departments. We all work toward a common goal. What is particularly important to me personally here at NORMA Group is the way in which the team is appreciated. There are a lot of really great people working at NORMA Group, but success is never the success of an individual, it’s always the success of the team.
What I particularly like about my job is that there is no such thing as a standard daily routine. I am often confronted with unexpected challenges. In situations like that, the most important thing is to stay calm and focused, to listen and to proceed in an organized manner.
What is particularly important to you in your job?
When things are quiet, I use the available time to work on continuous improvements in the areas of quality and EHS. I also support all plant initiatives to sustain our future business, taking into consideration the current massive external changes that affect everyone, including NORMA Group.
What external changes are you referring to?
Changes such as climate change, rising energy prices and resource scarcity. These new dynamics force us to be creative and to adapt. I firmly believe, however, that there is a positive lesson to be learned from every problem. At NORMA Group, we have the freedom, the motivation and the opportunities to find innovative solutions to the challenges I mentioned.
The way that employees view their workplaces is changing throughout the world, for obvious reasons. People need to be involved in entrepreneurial activities, they need to believe in and be proud of their work and they also need to be able to strike a balance between autonomy and teamwork. A manager has to lead, but also allow room for individual initiative. I have to provide my team with a reason to follow my ideas and the company strategy.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to go jogging and run between 20 and 60 kilometers a week. I prefer to run in the forest because I enjoy the contact with nature and the characteristics of the trails and paths there. Jogging is important for me to create a balance between work and private life.
I also enjoy do-it-yourself projects – I always have something going on at home and I have the next project in my mind. I would also love to bike and swim, but unfortunately there are only 24 hours in my day and I’m not a robot.
What are your goals for the future?
To further advance the sustainability aspect by supporting all initiatives launched at NORMA Group in this direction. We all need to change the way we think about energy consumption, mobility, the workplace, food and so on. We are the generation that needs to change direction and create new standards of living: Sustainability will have a positive impact on all of us.
Acting for the climate is my main goal. As a society, we are already lagging behind in this respect and still have a lot of work to do to establish a global sustainability strategy – especially when it comes to the automotive industry. We are on the road a lot; we import and export resources and use fossil fuels. The automotive industry must change – and I want to be a part of that change. NORMA Group is heading in the right direction.
Is that why you enjoy working at NORMA Group?
Absolutely. I take a great deal of pride in working for a company that is clearly focused on the United Nations Agenda 2030. The focus of my work is on continuous improvement in multiple areas and collaborative way of working. What excites me about the work I do, is the constant challenge of changing future perspectives, protecting employees, improving quality performance and preventing environmental damage.
